Newsletter Vol. 39 2020.2.17 Special Features Nobel Week 2019 IVA-JSPS Seminar FY2019 with Dr. Akira Yoshino ACF 10-year Anniversary Ceremony/All Alumni Meeting Contents Page Prologue 1 Special Features 2 News 10 Reports 15 Message from the Alumni Club Members 19 Reports from Japanese Researchers in the Nordic/Baltic Countries 21 Column 23 Academic Information 24 Notices 27 Prologue Science literacy to antagonize delusive, non-scientific views Tadaharu Tsumoto, Director, JSPS Stockholm Office This is the first prologue of the year 2020, so I should have concluded that homeopathy is not effective at all. In Japan, given a New Year greeting here. I realized, however, that also the president of the Science Council of Japan published this newsletter will arrive to readers in mid-February. In the President’s Comment on August 14, 2010, stating that place of such a delayed greeting, therefore, I would like to the effects of homeopathy are not better than the so-called describe my personal view as a short essay. “placebo effects” (http://www.scj.go.jp/ja/info/kohyo/pdf/ kohyo-21-d8.pdf in Japanese). In this comment he also Is the earth flat？ referred to the case that a paramedical staff, a follower of Recently, I was really astounded to see the web news that homeopathy, did not give necessary vitamins to a baby and even in these modern times, some people (not so many, I consequently led to his/her death. This indicates the risk of hope) in UK and USA believe that the earth is flat (https:// believing in the non-scientific theory or idea. Although there en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth). According to this article, is a plenty of such evidence, it astonished me that some the Flat Earth Society was set up in 1956 and its succeeding people still seem to buy homeopathy products in Stockholm. organization still exists in the present age. Actually we live in Climate change the 21st century, not in the Middle Ages when the theory of It may be inevitable that a certain proportion of people in the geocentiric system dominated. Such an apparently our society has or expresses such non-scientific, delusive absurd, non-scientific conception is not limited to the shape views, since the freedom of thought and belief is the main of the earth. In a few states of USA there are movements principle of our democratic society. If an unreasonable, against the theory of evolution. In fact, in some states of absurd idea is limited within a personal, low-risk USA, there were attempts to introduce anti-evolution bills to circumstance, it may be just a laughing topic of chattering: prohibit teaching the theory of evolution in public schools. Let them believe it and take the responsibility of the Furthermore, to enhance such an anti-evolution argument consequence. If it comes to socially important issues, the “Intelligence design” theory was proposed (https:// however, an idea that ignores or neglects scientific facts en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design). Now the general would lead to serious consequences. A good example of this consensus in the scientific community is that the intelligent is the issue of the world-wide climate change or global design theory is not a scientific theory. For example, the US warming. There is a plenty of scientific evidence that the National Academy of Science declares that “creationism, average temperature in many regions of our planet is intelligence design, and other claims of supernatural sharply rising, particularly after the industrialization. The intervention in the origin of life or species are not science recent scientific observations show the retreat of glaciers, because they are not testable by the method of icebergs and permafrost in the polar regions, and the science” (National Academy of Science 1999, p.25, http:// frequent occurrence of heatwaves, wildfires and droughts in www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309064066&page=25). other regions of the earth. Therefore, effective social I thought that such non-scientific views similar to measures are urgently necessary, as pointed out in the Paris superstition were held only by a very small number of Agreement of 2016. In relation to this, I am very much people in USA and other countries. In the Nordic countries impressed by the recent activities of Ms. Greta Thunberg where scientific literacy seems to be well-established, I and other young people who support her. There are, expected that nobody would believe such non-scientific however, some people who do not believe in the scientific claims. When I took a walk near my apartment in central evidence for the human-caused global warming. In the 50th Stockholm, however, I was astonished to find a store named World Economic Forum in Davos this year, for example, one “Homeopatica” and sell “homeopathic products”. of the political leaders claimed that “perennial prophets of Homeopathy is a pseudoscientific theory of alternative doom with predictions of apocalypse” or the pessimism on medicine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy). It climate must be rejected. He seems to ignore the scientific was created in 1796 by a medical practitioner. He and his observations. These climate change skeptics would not pay supporters believe that a substance that causes symptoms attention to the consensus of scientists. How can we convert of a disease in healthy people would cure similar symptoms this kind of people who are bigoted to the unreasonable in sick people; this doctrine is called similia similibus convictions? Although it seems to be not easy, we should be curentur or homeopathy. Homeopathic preparations are consistent with the principles of democratic society. In termed remedies and are made using a process called democracy, any leaders of society are expected to listen to homeopathic dilution. This process involves repeatedly opinions of the majority of people. In this sense, the diluting a chosen substance so that the original substance is dissemination of scientific evidence to many people in likely to not remain in the product. Nevertheless they claim society is very important. If the majority of people in our that it makes the diluent remember the original substance society have a correct scientific knowledge of the current after its removal, and such preparations, upon oral intake, environments or science literacy, unreasonable, obstinate can treat or cure disease. Now it is well established that people will not be elected as leaders of our society. Thus I homeopathic preparations are not effective for treating any am rather optimistic in the sense that people will select medical condition. In fact, the European Academies' Science leaders of our society who are not anti-scientific obstinate, Advisory Council and the Commission on Pseudoscience and although the persistent dissemination of scientific facts to Research Fraud of the Russian Academy of Sciences each the public is essential. JSPS STOCKHOLM FY2019 │ VOL.39│ 1 Special Features 1 Nobel Week 2019 December 10 marks the passing of Alfred Nobel and is when the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony of each prize, except for the Peace Prize, is held at the Stockholm Concert Hall, followed by the Nobel Banquet at the Stockholm City Hall. A week leading up to this day, also called the Nobel Week, is a series of various events that celebrate the laureates for the Nobel Prize. December 6 Signing Chairs at the Nobel Museum From 10:00, the laureates visited the Nobel Museum in Stockholm’s Old Town where they traditionally write their signatures under the chairs of the museum restaurant, called Bistro Nobel. Press Conference for the Laureates in Literature From 13:00, a press conference was held at the Swedish Academy (SA). Press Conference for the Laureates in Physiology or Medicine Chemistry Laureate Yoshino at Nobel Prize Museum From 15:00, a press conference was held at Nobel Forum, Karolinska © Nobel Media. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud Institutet (KI). December 7 Press Conference for the Laureates in Physics, Chemistry and Economic Sciences From 09:30, a press conference was held at Aula Magna, Stockholm University. Nobel Lectures in Physiology or Medicine Following the press conference, the Nobel Lectures in Physiology or Medicine were held at Aula Medica, KI. The presentations can be viewed at the links below: ・William G. Kaelin Jr. “The von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein: Insights into Oxygen Sensing” https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2019/kaelin/lecture/ ・Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe “Elucidation of Oxygen Sensing Systems in Human and Animal Cells” https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2019/ratcliffe/lecture/ ・Gregg L. Semenza Prof. Semenza delivering his Nobel Lecture “Hypoxia-Inducible Factors in Physiology and Medicine” © Nobel Media. Photo: Nanaka Adachi https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2019/semenza/lecture/ Reception for the Laureates in Physiology or Medicine From 16:00, a reception was held at the Aula Medica, KI. From JSPS Stockholm Office, Director Tsumoto and Deputy Director Yoshihara joined. Nobel Lectures in Literature From 16:45, the Nobel Lectures in Literature were held at the SA as follows: ・Olga Tokarczuk (for 2018） https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2018/tokarczuk/lecture/ JSPS STOCKHOLM FY2019 │ VOL.39│ 2 a Special Features 1 Nobel Week 2019 December 8 Nobel Lectures in Physics, Chemistry and Economic Sciences From 9:00, the Nobel Lectures in Physics, Chemistry and Economic Sciences were held at Aula Magna, Stockholm University. The presentations can be viewed at the links below: Physics ・James Peebles “How Physical Cosmology Grew” https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2019/peebles/lecture/ ・Michel Mayor “Plurality of Worlds in the Cosmos: A Dream of Antiquity, A Modern Reality of Astrophysics” https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2019/mayor/lecture/ Prof. Peebles delivering his Nobel Lecture ・Didier Queloz © Nobel Media.